While schools face the challenge of how to provide safe and effective instruction during the pandemic, parents are faced with the difficult choice to follow the schools’ directives or go their own way. If you have ever thought about homeschooling before or are just considering it now due to the current crisis, it can certainly seem like a daunting undertaking. But there are a few basic steps you can take to understand the process and gather the information you need to feel confident to take the leap.
Getting Started
If you are considering homeschooling your school-aged child in NYC, the essential first step is to familiarize yourself with the New York State Regulations on Homeschooling to understand your rights and responsibilities under the law. The NYSED also publishes a Q&A which provides additional clarity on various homeschooling issues.
In brief, New York State requires you file four types of documents each homeschooling year:
1. A Letter of Intent informs the NYC Office of Home Schooling that you will be instructing your child at home. It must include the starting date for home instruction, the child’s name and date of birth and the home address. If your child has previously attended a NYC public school, you would also include his/her NYC Schools ID number so the record can be updated to reflect homeschooling status.
2. The Individualized Home Instruction Plan describes your curriculum or plan of instruction for the year and may also include the resources and materials you plan to use. The IHIP also must include the dates you determine you’ll be filing your Quarterly Reports.
3. Quarterly Reports are submitted at regular intervals and include a description of the material covered over the previous quarter, the total number of hours of instruction, and a grade or other evaluation.
4. An Annual Assessment is filed every year along with the 4th Quarterly Report. Depending on the child’s grade, the Assessment can take one of two forms: A written narrative certifying whether or not the child has made adequate academic progress for the year, or, the results of a commercially published achievement test. The list of accepted tests can be found in the regulations. Testing is required every other year from 4th-8th grade, and every year from 9th-12th grade.
For NYC residents, homeschooling documents are submitted to the NYC Office of Home Schooling. Additional information and document templates are available on the Office of Home Schooling website.
Getting Connected
The second essential step is to connect with the large, diverse and very active NYC homeschooling community. By joining a city-wide or neighborhood group online, you’ll find social connections for you and your child and discover the rich variety of resources, classes, meet-ups and co-ops that parents have created. The group list-serves provide a forum for families to ask questions and find support.
While we continue to navigate the pandemic, these connections are virtual and many activities are running remotely, but in-person gatherings will resume when it’s safe to do so. A number of homeschooling families are creating learning “pods,” small groups of families sharing educational resources and socializing while maintaining trust in their anti-virus protocols.
Getting Organized
Homeschooling offers parents the freedom to create any kind of learning environment that suits their family. But all that freedom, coupled with the vast array of resources available online and throughout the city can feel overwhelming, especially at the start. Here are a few basic questions to help you find your way:
What are my child’s interests and learning style?
What knowledge and skills do I want my child to attain?
How can I balance my needs with those of my child?
What are some best practices that will allow us to get off to the right start?
You don’t have to have all the answers to these questions before you begin! Your homeschool will evolve as you find the resources and routines that work best for your family.
NYC is an extraordinary place to homeschool and there are as many different ways of homeschooling as there are families engaged in it. Joining this dynamic community will give you access to all that it offers while you and your child discover the joy of learning in freedom.
| Joanna Allen Lodin is a New York City native who, along with her husband Jeff, decided to try homeschooling their first child beginning in 1995. All three of their now-grown sons were homeschooled until it came time for college and work. For the past 25 years, Joanna has mentored many families in the joys of homeschooling. And in 2012, she launched Fearless Homeschooling to provide information workshops and support for the NYC homeschooling community. For a copy of Joanna's Homeschooling Resource List or if you have any questions, feel free to email her HERE. |
Related articles:
 |  |  |
Macaroni Kid Lower Manhattan is the family fun go-to source for the latest and most comprehensive information in our area. Subscribe for FREE today.
